The Prime Minister's wife Sarah Brown met Sarah Palin, the Republican
vice-presidential candidate, in New York on Wednesday night.

Mrs Brown was co-hosting a women-only dinner for the White Ribbon Alliance, a charity aimed at improving the health of mothers and babies around the world.

The event, which was also hosted by Queen Rania of Jordan and Wendi Deng, the wife of Rupert Murdoch, coincided with the UN General Assembly, and organisers called on called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and world leaders to renew their commitments to reducing maternal mortality rates.

Travelling with Mr Brown were Elle Macpherson, the supermodel and businesswoman, and the Duchess of York. They also attended last night's event.

Mr Brown arrived direct from Manchester after the end of Labour's conference. He will attend meetings at the United Nations but was reportedly snubbed by US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson when a request was made for a meeting.

Mr Brown will address the UN on Friday, along with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.